Bourbon barrel syrup

[tonka]

I'm looking at aging some syrup. I would like to start some now but cant find any small 5 or 10 gallon barrels yet, did find access to 45 and 53 gallon. The problem is I live in mn and dont have a warm place to store the bigger barrels which leads me to my question, can the barrels be stored in below freezing storage or will it effect the barrel and slow the aging?

[Aaron Stack]

The Great Google has a few sites offering barrels in the 5-10 gallon range - https://www.barrelsdirect.com/category/small-format/ is one example.

I'll only have 50 taps this season so I was looking for even smaller, maybe around 2 gallons. Since I'm only expecting around 12-13 gallons total I don't want 5 going to bourbon.

[VT_K9]

I have been looking for a barrel as well. I ordered two from a company last spring, but had to go through the credit card company to get a refund because they never shipped the barrels. It's almost like enough people have started using the barrels they are much harder to find compared to about 4 years ago.

As far as temps go i think the cooler weather would result in a slower process. The other concern would be maintaining the integrity of the staves of the barrel to avoid leaks. When we did our last barrel it was stored in a basement to keep temps even and we stored it for about 7 months. We turned the barrel every couple weeks and kept an eye out for any signs of leakage. In the end we had one stave joint starting to seep.

Mike

[tonka]

Last summer I had a local barrel maker stop at my stand and we talked a bit and he said to contact him if I need help locating any barrels to age syrup in. I called yesterday and left a voicemail so we'll see.

My biggest concern during winter is if the wood is wet and freezes and when it thaws in the spring that the staves might shift.

[maple flats]

Grimm's Maple Products - Maple Syrup - Blossvale New York
grimmsmapleproducts.com
is another possible source

I aged my first 3 batches in my unheated sugarhouse, since then, because my sugarhouse is quite crowded, I've aged all but one batch in a back corner of my unheated shop. I found no issue aging in unheated locations. That one other batch was aged in my brother in laws cellar. I do turn the barrels every few days, and I spray them each time if I have water with me. Early in the aging I turn and spray every day, after a few days, I go to every other day. Then after about 8-10 days I go to 2x a week and finally once every 7-10 days. As I said, each time I turn the barrels. To do that, I made up 3 "moving " dollies, well sort of like that. I use 4 rigid casters on them, then I lay them in large baking sheets I bought for that purpose. The casters are facing up, then the barrel gets set on the casters making the rotating easy. I've noticed no difference in the temperature as relating to the time needed to age the syrup, I do see a difference in how much water spray I need to use to keep the staves tight.
Grimm maple products says to fill each barrel with hot water before filling it with syrup, to swell the staves, if it still leaks, repeat, I never tried that method, thinking it would remove some of the bourbon flavor that is in the char in the barrel.

[tonka]

Maple flats, what was the coldest temp your barrels seen while aging? Right now its -13 with real feel at -38.

[maple flats]

I'm not sure, but it was at least -10F if not colder, but not colder than -20. Whatever the outside temperature is, that's about what I get in both my sugarhouse and my shop. Both are well vented so no heat builds up.

[Crooked Cellars Farm]

I bought a approx 2.5 gal new oak barrel from a website. It's got a char on the inside. I then bought my own whiskey/bourbon to put in the barrel to "age" the barrel. I left it in there for 4-5 months. Drained it and filled with syrup. Aged it for 3 months and just bottled. It's amazing. I then backfilled the barrel with the bourbon to potentially impart some maple flavor into it. Now, you can't sell this bourbon but I can gift it to buddies of mine. It's hard to find freshly drained small barrels from distilleries. The smallest you may find is 5 gal. Next time I may have buddies of mine go in on the bourbon with me, as it's not very cost effective to go this route on your own. I think I paid just under $100 for the barrel. They sell these barrels up to 5 gal size.
https://www.barrelsonline.com/
This was the website I got my barrel from

[maple flats]

The Great Google has a few sites offering barrels in the 5-10 gallon range - https://www.barrelsdirect.com/category/small-format/ is one example.

I'll only have 50 taps this season so I was looking for even smaller, maybe around 2 gallons. Since I'm only expecting around 12-13 gallons total I don't want 5 going to bourbon.
I wouldn't hesitate to fill a 5 gal barrel with 12-13 gal crop, but only if you plan to sell it. I had 50% of my sales 2 years in a row selling bourbon barrel aged maple syrup. It is a fantastic value added product. You can take 5 gallons of maple syrup, which you might sell at $17 or $18/qt ($340-$360 less container cost) and fill 200ml flask bottles (about $.90 ea) and get $1128 less bottle cost which is still over $1000. Read my posts on how I do it. If you're in the "I won't sell any, just giving it away" crowd.just keep it as maple syrup.
Or try what Crooked Cellars Farm did, buy a 2.5 gal new barrel and season it with bourbon. Doing that I see no reason to season it as long as they did. I'm just guessing but I would think a month aging with about 1 qt, or so of bourbon in it, turn the barrel every 2-3 days. Then drain it and fill with maple syrup. Because of the char in the barrel, the syrup will get much darker, thus I use very dark if I have it, otherwise I use the darkest I have. The bourbon barrel aged maple syrup has no grading (at least in New York State).
I buy my flask bottles here https://www.burchbottle.com/products/200ml-Glass-Flask-Bottle-28mm-pk24_586_product.htm
200ml (6.76 Fl Oz) 24 pack case for under $13.00 plus caps are separate. I forget what they cost, I bought a whole case of then 3 years ago from Burch, still have enough to last another 2-3 years. I think they were about 7-8 cents each for about 3500 in a case. Something like 11-12 cents individually for smaller quantities. That 3 years ago.

[Aaron Stack]

I wouldn't hesitate to fill a 5 gal barrel with 12-13 gal crop, but only if you plan to sell it. I had 50% of my sales 2 years in a row selling bourbon barrel aged maple syrup. It is a fantastic value added product. You can take 5 gallons of maple syrup, which you might sell at $17 or $18/qt ($340-$360 less container cost) and fill 200ml flask bottles (about $.90 ea) and get $1128 less bottle cost which is still over $1000. Read my posts on how I do it. If you're in the "I won't sell any, just giving it away" crowd.just keep it as maple syrup.
Or try what Crooked Cellars Farm did, buy a 2.5 gal new barrel and season it with bourbon. Doing that I see no reason to season it as long as they did. I'm just guessing but I would think a month aging with about 1 qt, or so of bourbon in it, turn the barrel every 2-3 days. Then drain it and fill with maple syrup. Because of the char in the barrel, the syrup will get much darker, thus I use very dark if I have it, otherwise I use the darkest I have. The bourbon barrel aged maple syrup has no grading (at least in New York State).
I buy my flask bottles here https://www.burchbottle.com/products/200ml-Glass-Flask-Bottle-28mm-pk24_586_product.htm
200ml (6.76 Fl Oz) 24 pack case for under $13.00 plus caps are separate. I forget what they cost, I bought a whole case of then 3 years ago from Burch, still have enough to last another 2-3 years. I think they were about 7-8 cents each for about 3500 in a case. Something like 11-12 cents individually for smaller quantities. That 3 years ago.

Thanks for the tip Dave. I’m pretty sure I got the idea of bourbon from your posts, and if the return is as you say I’ll give the 5 gallons another thought. Given it’s my first year I’ll be happy with a decent tasting product, but people have shown interest in buying some when it’s ready

[Crooked Cellars Farm]

Dave,
Do you think that aging the new barrel in only a small amount of bourbon would impart enough of a bourbon flavor into the barrel? Obviously the most important part of that would be consistently rolling the barrel. I'd also be concerned that the new staves wouldn't swell consistently as well. I like this idea though. It would save us a ton of money to not fill this new barrel entirely with bourbon but only use a smaller amount. It's really the only reason I didn't go up to a 5 gal barrel. This may be the way I go about aging my syrup this year.
Thanks for you knowledge,
Dale

[maple flats]

The only way to know would be to test it. It sounds like it could work, but there's only 1 way to know.
I think my suggestion of turning the barrel routinely would have a better chance of getting enough bourbon into the char, since I doubt anyone would test that method by filling the barrel to capacity.
If anyone has tried this, what were your thoughts after you made a batch of bourbon barrel aged maple syrup after doing the bourbon in the barrel first?
I've often wondered if I could re-seed a barrel right after removing a batch of aged syrup from it and put a bottle or 2 of bourbon in it, turn it every day or two for a couple of weeks. Then drain it and start a new batch of syrup in it, however I've not tried it.

[Crooked Cellars Farm]

I do have a even smaller barrel that was given to me by my sis n law. Maybe I will try/test the method of filling the barrel with only a fraction of bourbon, and then age our syrup in it after draining the bourbon.
I aged the 2.5 gal barrel with bourbon and I did fill it to capacity. But like I said that's not really a viable option due to cost to fill the barrel with bourbon.
I also was wondering about reusing the barrel again after re aging bourbon it it. But I think you would need to "clean" the residual syrup out of it first and then add the bourbon back into it. I would also be concerned that it may form mold inside the barrel with the sugars left in it. But the bourbon "should" kill any mold spores that form, as long as your consistently rotating the barrel.
There is definitely alot of science involved in the use of these barrels.
I will try the small barrel experiment and report back when we do it. Worst case scenario, I go back and try again. It's worth a try as like you said Dave, this is a very value added product to syrup production.

[DrTimPerkins]

Ethanol is not particularly good for killing mold spores. It takes 70-90% (140-180 proof) ethanol to achieve good kill efficacy. The spores won't germinate in ethanol, but they won't die. Same for isopropyl alcohol....works well against vegetative structures, but not great at killing fungal spores.

[maple flats]

If you empty the barrel of aged syrup and almost immediately add the bourbon, all while keeping it cool, you might be OK. Then as soon as you empty the bourbon out, fill the barrel with HOT syrup. Even at 200F or hotter. The heat will kill any mold spores I would think. You don't need to filter the syrup going in, but you certainly won't be happy with the end product if you don't filter the aged syrup.
Also, there is a good chance there will be some alcohol in the syrup. So mine has near zero or zero alcohol, I heat it 2x. I first pump it into my finisher, bring it up to 200-205 and shut the propane burner off. I let it set for 16-24 hrs. I then heat it to 190 or so, and run it thru my filter press, mixed with DE. From there it is pumped into my water jacketed bottler, and that is set for 185F. Both times it sets in a finisher or bottler that has a cover to prevent contamination, but alcohol can evaporate off. It stays at that for 12-24 hrs, then I bottle it. Those 2 heating and holding processes evaporate off the alcohol. If yours is for friends and you for enjoyment, you may not be concerned about alcohol %, but if you sell it, the authorities may. My labels state "contains 2% alcohol or less".